Blue Cave 5 Island Day, Stop by Stop

You meet the skipper 15 minutes before departure at Split Riva (Obala HNP 1). Find the boat with our signage: Mercan, Enzo or Enzo Stari depending on the day. The skipper checks your booking, hands out wind jackets, and gives a brief safety walkthrough.

Cold drinks are already on board in the cooler. Snorkel masks and fins are stowed under the seats. You stash your bag in the dry compartment forward.

Two hours of open Adriatic at 23 knots. The boat planes smoothly across the deeper water south of Šolta and Vis. You pass Hvar to port and Brač to the east. On clear days you can see the outline of Italy on the horizon.

Most guests sit in the front-facing seats and watch the islands roll past. Some swap to the sun deck after the first half hour. The wind chill at 23 knots is more than you expect: keep the jacket on.

We arrive at Biševo and join the queue of boats at the cave entrance. The cave authority manages access: small rowboats shuttle guests in and out (the speedboat cannot enter due to the low ceiling).

When it's your turn, you transfer into the rowboat, 6 to 8 people at a time. You duck under the entrance, and the cave opens up around you. The light is the colour you came for. The guide will tell you when to turn around so the boat behind can enter.

Total time inside: 10-15 minutes. Total time at Biševo (including queue): 45-60 minutes. The entry fee of €18–€24 is paid in cash on the island.

Twenty-minute crossing from Biševo to Vis. We anchor in front of the narrow rock passage that leads to Stiniva. The beach is invisible from the water: you swim or wade through the entrance, and then suddenly the cove opens up.

Voted Europe's Best Beach in 2016. Cliffs rise straight from the sea on both sides. Water you can see your toes through. Bring water shoes: the pebbles can be sharp at the entrance.

45 minutes of swimming and exploring. There is a small konoba on the beach in season (cash only) if you need water or a quick drink.

Twenty-five minutes to Budikovac. Different feel entirely: the sheltered turquoise shallows that families and first-time snorkellers love.

The boat anchors in shallow water. You can stand in 1-2 metres for most of the swim area. Snorkel gear comes out, and you can see fish under your feet. There is a small beach bar accessible by tender if you want a drink.

A full hour here. Most people are deeply relaxed by now.

Thirty-minute crossing to Hvar town. We tie up in the harbour, and you have two full hours for lunch and a walk through the town, roughly double what most operators allow here.

For lunch: walk five minutes inland from the harbour to the proper konobas. Tourist terraces directly on the waterfront are pretty but overpriced. Your skipper will give you a current recommendation, and the Hvar lunch guide has the full strategy.

For exploring: the marble Pjaca, the harbour-front cafes, and the stepped streets up toward the Fortica fortress. Two hours is enough for a proper lunch plus a real walk, not a plate eaten against the clock.

Leaving Hvar harbour, the boat cruises through the Pakleni archipelago: pine-covered islets, hidden bays, channels of impossibly clear water sliding past on both sides. This is sightseeing from the deck, not a stop; on the group day nobody anchors and nobody swims here.

Cameras out for the channel between the islets, then the bow swings north across the Hvar channel toward Brač.

The last swim of the day is at Milna, a quiet baroque stone harbour on the western tip of Brač that most group tours skip. The bay is sheltered, the water calm, and the afternoon light on the stone waterfront is the best of the day.

45 minutes of swimming. By now most guests are deeply tanned, slightly tired, and quietly happy. It is the most relaxed stop of the day.

About an hour from Milna back to Split across the sheltered channel. The light is golden by now. Most people sit in the front seats and watch the islands recede. Many fall asleep.

We dock at Split Riva between 17:30 and 18:00. You step off salt-skinned, sun-tired, and with the best photos of your trip already on your phone.